


Somebody Else

by myblueworld



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-08 12:18:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6854371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myblueworld/pseuds/myblueworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Villa always thought that there would be no one else. But then he found out that maybe there was somebody else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So I heard you found somebody else, and at first I thought it was a lie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [forsitvenire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/forsitvenire/gifts).



> Based on the song Somebody Else by The 1975.  
> Thank you for the person who has given me the prompt.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villa came to Manchester, planning it as a surprise for Silva. Silva was surprised, but not in the way that Villa had expected.

It’s not difficult for Villa to find Silva’s car. Glancing at his watch, Villa estimated that it wouldn’t be long until the training session's over. Unless Silva got another thing to do related to the club. Villa stretched his arms up, and tilted his neck, trying to release the tension after the long flight from New York. Villa leaned his side to Silva’s car, and started thinking of how Silva would be surprised to see him here. He could picture how Silva’s face would light up, along with his eyes. Unconsciously, a small grin formed on his lips. He already got so excited about how this surprise would be something that Silva love, he almost got a little giddy inside.

The sound of conversation coming closer jerked Villa’s head from absently gazing at the black asphalt to where the voices come from.

Silva was walking towards the car, Sergio Agüero on his left side, and the goalkeeper on his right side ( _Villa can’t really remember the name of the blond. John? Joe? Josh? Not that he cares, though.)_

Silva was laughing at something that the goalie said, and the taller man grinned widely as he ruffled Silva’s hair.

Agüero was the first one to realize that Villa was there. He looked at Villa with wide eyes, lips parted.

“Villa?”

Villa didn’t think he need to respond to that. He had his eyes only on Silva, who stopped abruptly. His head quickly turned away from facing Joe to stare at Villa.

Yes. Villa could see that Silva was clearly surprised.

Villa waited. He knew, he just knew that Silva would just ran to him with that brilliant smile that always made Villa’s heart jump no matter how many times he had seen the smile.

So he waited. For Silva to run into him and put his arms around Villa. At least, _that_ , was what Villa had imagined.

But instead of running towards him, Silva just stood there. It’s like he froze, with a shock on his face. Next to him, the goalkeeper glanced at Villa, and looked back at Silva. Maybe that blond guy was also surprised. Maybe. Villa did not have the time to think about it when what was happening now was completely different from what he had imagined would be.

How Silva reacted was not actually in his initial plan. So Villa did not know what to do. He just waved at Silva, rather awkwardly. Nervously, he tried to smile. But he internally cringed because somehow he felt that his attempt of smiling was failing miserably.

“Hey, Silvita!”

A few steps away from him, Silva’s forehead crinkled.

“Villa? What are you doing here?”

That is not the kind of question that Villa expected to be Silva’s first words when he saw him. And even more unexpected, Silva said it in English.

 “Well, nice to see you too, Silva.”

Silva closed his eyes and shook his head a little, as if he couldn’t believe that this was really happening.

The tall blond guy took a few wide steps towards Villa, and with a polite smile stretching his hand at Villa, offering a handshake.

“Hi there! David Villa, right? I am Joe. Joe Hart.”

For the sake of politeness, Villa took Joe’s hand for a quick handshake. Not a millisecond longer than needed, Villa pulled his hand.

“Joe,” Villa nodded at Joe, and fixed his eyes back at Silva. Silva still looked strangely uncomfortable, with a weird tense expression.

“So, nice seeing you here, Villa.” Joe said with a cheerful voice. Too cheerful. Villa didn’t look at Joe. But as he has his eyes fixed on Silva, he saw how David turn his head to look at Joe, and cringed at the taller guy.

“What brings you here?” Joe asked again.

Villa didn’t answer his question. Right now, he only wanted to talk with Silva. His Silva. Not this strange English guy with that funny accent. Or Agüero, no matter how people praised him as one of the best striker.

( _Villa always thought that Agüero was overrated. Yes, he scored many goals. But did he ever bring his National Team to win Copa America? Did he make Argentina win the World Cup? Well, Villa did.)_

Villa’s chest was heavy as he quietly watched Silva took a deep breath, and let it out in a long sigh. As if Villa has done a mistake that he had done over and over again.

“Villa, what makes you come here?”

That is a simple question. But that is the question that has made a little piece of Villa’s heart break. Villa shrugged. Trying his best to school his expression into a nonchalant one, he still has his eyes at the same level of Silva’s when he answered.

“Well, do I need any reason to see you?”

There is a voice at the back of his head saying that maybe he should have said _my boyfriend_.

_(But are they still boyfriend to each other now? Have they ever been anyway?)_

There is a stiff smile on Silva’s lips when he asked him back. “After months of not seeing each other? After unreturned phone calls? Yeah. Of course you want to see me.”

Another little piece of Villa’s heart got broken.

Joe clapped his hand and then rubbed his palms together.  His attempt of being excited was not really successful as his smile looked like a nervous one.

“Well… So, I guess it would be great if you two can spend some time to catch up with each other! You know, over some drinks and…”

“That’s a good idea!” Agüero cut Joe’s words. He looked like he was trying to smile, but there was a sign of warning in his eyes. “The three of us were planning to go to _our_ favorite club in this city. Maybe you want to join us?”

Villa was clever enough to recognize from Agüero’s tone that that was not really an invitation. It was more like a challenge.

Still, Villa couldn’t make himself to care. He's still staring at Silva. Still couldn’t really believe that this, this was the way Silva reacted. He nodded, and didn’t even bother to look at Agüero when he answered.

“Yeah. Sounds interesting.”

Silva bowed his head down, rubbing the asphalt with the tip of his shoes.

“I don’t know,” he said, half-mumbling. “I mean, Kun doesn't have his car with him today and I’ve promised him that I will give him a ride so I don’t know if I…”

“That’s easy to solve!” Joe exclaimed. “I can give Kun a ride! So you two can go together, and… well… you know… talk?”

Without giving a chance for anyone to say anything, Joe already made his way to grab Agüero on the wrist. Ignoring the protest he got from Agüero, Joe kept on pulling the Argentinian with him to walk away.

Silva sighed again, and lifted his head. Without saying anything, he walked to the driver’s side of his car and opened the door. Villa still stood at his place, clueless about what he supposed to do. He was looking at the asphalt, sort of bewildered on what was happening when Silva’s voice pulled him back to reality. His head jolted up to look at Silva, who was staring at him impatiently.

“You don’t really want to stand there forever, do you?”

Villa took it as a cue for him to enter the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of the chapter is from the song Somebody Else - The 1975


	2. I'm looking through you while you're looking through your phone and then leaving with somebody else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villa went with Silva to the club. But then Silva left with somebody else.

The ride was quiet. Quiet and uncomfortable. Every time Villa was about to try to say something, the icy cold look on Silva’s eyes always stopped him.

Villa’s gaze wandered on the view from the window. The gray sky looked even gloomier now.

He could hear Silva sighed from his seat, before he started speaking.

“So,” he said. Villa turned his head to look at Silva warily. Silva’s hands were gripping the steering wheel, tighter than needed. “Tell me. What is it actually that make you come here?”

Villa has never been good with words. So he replied with the simplest answer, yet the most honest and sincere one.

“Because I miss you.”

Villa studied Silva’s expression carefully. But if there is any change in his expression, then Villa couldn’t find it. Even though Villa really hoped that Silva would say something, anything, Silva remained silent through the rest of the drive.

When Silva pulled over to the parking lot of a club, Villa sighed.

“You know that I always mean what I say, right?”

Because indeed he always did. And he really meant it when he said that he missed Silva. So much that it ached.

Silva just shook his head a little. He turned the engine off. And finally, finally he turned his head to look right to Villa’s eyes. For once in his life, Villa realized that those brown eyes could be so cold.

“Well, then what does it mean when you say nothing at all?”

Before Villa had a chance to say anything, Silva already got out of the car. The sound of the door being slammed felt like the sound of a shattered hope.

Not really sure whether he still wanted to do this, Villa followed Silva to enter the club. The blasting sound of music, combined with the colorful lights that created strange swirling shadows made Villa get dizzy. He grabbed Silva’s arm to have a steadier ground. He could feel how Silva got tense to the touch. A fear that Silva would shake his hand off him made Villa tighten his grip.

“Hey, David! Over here!”

Joe’s voice made both of them turned their head to the direction where the voice came from. Villa easily recognized the blond, who waved at them from a booth. But Villa thought that the tall guy would be easy to be recognized anywhere anyway.

Silva waved back at Joe.

“Joe!” He said. Villa hated to hear the excitement in Silva’s voice. But the thing that he hated even more, was the way Silva easily shook his arm to let go of Villa’s hand.

Villa followed Silva to the private VIP booth where Sergio and Joe were sitting. Silva squeezed in the small space left between Joe and Sergio. Sergio didn’t seem to mind, as he shifted, giving more room for Silva to sit comfortably.

“Hey, David!” Sergio’s smile looked bright, even in the swirling lights of the club. Villa watched as Silva’s face lit up as he smiled back at Sergio.

“Kun!”

Villa gritted his teeth as Sergio wrapped an arm around Silva, pulled him closer and kissed his temple. And when Silva giggled, letting Sergio ruffled his hair, Villa felt he really want to punch someone. Someone in particular, to be exact. Someone who was now whispering something at Silva’s ear, and still had his arm rested on Silva’s shoulder.

“Villa! Here, have a seat!” Joe gestured to the space next to him. If he was honest, right now Villa didn’t want to be there. He loathed watching how Silva and Agüero were whispering to each other, sharing giggles and looking so comfortable sitting so close next to each other. But Villa sat down anyway.

“How is New York?” Joe asked.

Villa flashed a glance at Joe, but returned to watch Silva from where he sat. “It’s okay. Still a busy city.”

Joe nodded. “I guess they have more fancy stuff than what we have here, eh?”

_Yes. There were more fancy lights there and things that they said are cool and awesome but no. New York didn't have Silva. So what’s the point anyway?_

“I bet you have a better weather there too, huh?” Joe laughed awkwardly, desperately trying to save the situation.

“Yeah. Sort of.” Villa nodded. And despite the steel fist clenching his heart, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Silva.

“Oy, David!”

Silva lifted up his head. Brushing some of his hair from covering his eyes, he stretched his neck a little to look at Joe.

“So, what plan do you have tomorrow? You can show Villa some of the…” Joe waved his hand vaguely. “Well, you know, interesting thing around Manchester.”

Joe sounded more like pleading instead of suggesting something.

Silva’s face dimmed, and his lips thinned into a line. He glanced at Villa, and quickly looked back at Joe. He shrugged his shoulders, looking hesitant.

“I don’t know. Maybe Villa is going back tomorrow anyway.” Then he looked at Villa, straight into his eyes. The look in his eyes was a fragile one, and Villa could taste the irony when Silva dropped the next words.

“He never stayed for long anyway.”

“I’ll stay. I’ll stay as long as you want me too.” Villa said quickly, without even really thinking about it.

There was a heavy silence hung between them. Villa and Silva stared at each other. Screaming and questioning and shouting out the words that left unsaid in silence. The loud music was still banging, and Villa could smell the hint of alcohol. But nothing felt real as he felt like he was suffocating and drowning when Silva’s eyes were still looking at him with that pain.

Silva broke the eye contact when his phone went off. Fishing off his phone from the pocket of his jeans, he kept his head bowed down as he slid his finger on the screen, and pressed the phone against his ear.

Whoever was it at the other end of the line, they easily changed Silva’s mood. Because right now Silva started talking with a grin on his face. Villa tried to figure out what was the conversation about, but picked up too few words to make any conclusion.

After a few minutes that felt awfully too long for Villa, Silva finally ended the call. He put his phone back to his pocket and lifted up his head, looking at Joe.

“Joe, that was Gael. He said he just had a new DJ mixing stuff and wanted to show what he can do with it to us.”

“Sounds cool! I’m in!” Sergio quickly stood up. Joe darted his eyes from Silva, who was looking at Joe expectantly, to Villa, who was still sitting next to him, clearly looked upset.

“Well… I… I guess I just stay here…” Joe didn’t sound so sure about his own words. He turned his head to Villa to give him an apologetic look.

“Okay,” Silva shrugged. He stood up, and without bothering to look at Villa, he nodded at Joe. “Good bye, Joe.”

By the next second, he already walked away. Sergio was walking next to him. Their shoulders were brushing each other as Sergio put his arm around Silva’s shoulder protectively.

Villa watched their back silently until they dissolved between the crowds, out of his sight.

“Well, things have not been… well, I suppose?” Joe asked carefully. Villa huffed and rested his back on the seat. He rubbed his face with both hands, and then look at Joe.

“So… Agüero, and… Silva?” He gulped, hated that he had to ask. He was dying to know and at the same time, too scared to find out about it. “Are… Are they…?”

Villa left his sentence hung there, unfinished. He couldn’t. He just couldn’t finish it.

Joe bit his lips, looking contemplative for a while. And then he answered warily. “Let’s just say that…they spend a lot of time together…”

Villa stared blankly at the crowd on the dancing floor.

“What is it that Agüero can give that I can’t give to Silva?” he asked to no one in particular. More like asking to himself.

“Well, you know… Sergio seemed to care a lot about David…”

“I care about him too! More than anyone would ever know!” Villa cut Joe’s words. He glared at Joe with an irritated look.

Joe held up his hand, palms facing forward. “Listen. No offense, mate. But Sergio is always around to show how much he…”

“Well, there is this freaking ocean between New York and this horrible city, you know…” Villa snapped at Joe.

Joe stopped talking, looking a little bit offended. For a second, Villa regretted what he had said. Maybe he shouldn’t have said something bad about a city to someone who has spent years living in the city ( _Villa still thought that Manchester has a horrible weather, though._ )

Joe shrugged his shoulders. “Yes, I can see that you have a point there, but… I was just trying to make you see the situation _here_ with David…”

Villa knew it. Damn, he really knew, that Joe only said nothing but the bitter truth. Villa sighed, covering his face with both hands and shook his head.

He threw his back to lean it on the couch, and massaged his temple with his thumb. He groaned.

“I am at the edge of losing someone I care about more than everything in this world, because of a stupid fucking ocean.”

Joe gave him a small sympathetic smile. “So, care for a drink?” he offered.

“Yeah. I guess I need some…” Villa replied.

Joe stood up and left the booth. When he came back a few minutes later, he had two glasses with sparkling liquid in it. Joe grinned as he put one of the glasses in front of Villa. He took a seat, and raised his glass as he nodded at Villa.

“Cheers, mate!”

Villa grab the drink, and snorted. “For the fucking ocean. May hell dry them out…”

He finished his drink in three big gulps. Something burnt in his throat, but right now Villa just wanted to burn himself. He waved at one of the waiter, who had a tray with some glasses on it.

“Give me some of that…” he grabbed one of the glasses from the tray when the waiter was close enough to him.

Maybe hell was real after all. Because the pain that Villa was feeling now, is the closest thing to what he would call as hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter is from the song Somebody Else - The 1975


	3. Everytime I start to believe in anything you're saying I'm reminded that I should be getting over it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I guess, instead of being a priority, I am nothing but an option for you.”

 

The throbbing pain inside his head forced Villa to open his eyes. He blinked for a few times. With a loud groan, he tried to look around without moving his head to much. Even with a blurry sight, he had a feeling that he was in a place that somewhat, familiar. It took a few second before he finally realized that he was laying in Silva’s bedroom.

Once the realization hit him, Villa sat up abruptly. A move that he regretted by the next second, because the sudden move worsened his headache.

He groaned again as he rubbed his face with both hands slowly.

“Silva?”

Nobody answered him. The silence around him made Villa almost swore that he could hear the sound of a hammer banging inside his head.

“Silva?” He called him once again. The room was dim; the only light was some sunlight seeping in from curtain on the window.

Villa turned his head slowly. The pillow and the sheet on his left looked neat, indicating that they were left untouched. There was a pull in Villa’s chest. Anywhere they were, Silva’s side is always on the left side of him. And now the pale blue sheet on his left side was like staring back at him, laughing at him in its emptiness.

Exhaling, Villa’s turned his head to the other side. That’s when he realized that there was a glass of water, with a plate of food on the nightstand.  Villa shifted closer, and found a small piece of paper, under a bottle of aspirin. Villa grabbed the paper. Silva’s neat small handwriting was scribbled on it.

_Off for training. Back at around 3. Maybe._

Villa let out a long sigh. Knowing that he really didn’t have any choice, he took the glass of water.

He managed to eat some of the food. It was cold, but Villa didn’t care. He ate it just because he had to, not because he wanted to. The food felt like sand on his tongue, and went through his throat like bricks. After taking the tablets, he finished the water. Feeling too sick to do anything, he laid back on the bed. It didn’t even take him five minutes to fall asleep again.

*******

Villa opened his eyes, staring at the dark blue ceiling. The pain in his head was still there, but compared to earlier, it felt much better now. And he didn’t feel as nauseous as before. Then suddenly, his instinct made him turned his head to the right.

Silva was there, sitting quietly on a chair, near the nightstand. He sat close enough so that Villa could see his nonchalant expression, but not close enough for Villa to reach and touch him.

“Silva?”

Silva remained silent. His expression showed nothing at all. Just a pair of cold eyes on a stony face. He held his gaze at Villa, as if he was observing Villa and all of his movement.

Villa sat up slowly. His back on the headboard, Villa rested both of his hand on his thigh, fingers intertwining each other. None of them said anything.

Finally, the silence that heavily hung on the air between them felt too much suffocating for Villa to bear.

“So,” he tilted his head to look at Silva, and try to smile.

He never knew that smiling can be so hard when his chest was so heavy with so much guilt and other emotions that he couldn’t recognize.

“How was training?”

Silva gave him a single nod. “Was good.”

Villa nodded. He didn’t know what else to say, and hoped that Silva would say something. Anything.

Maybe, maybe there was this power that could make hopes come true. Because Silva finally said something.

“Joe brought you here last night.”

“Did he?”

Villa cringed. Of course. That was the only logical explanation. He vaguely remembered calling the waiter for some drinks, and then more. More and more and more until he felt numb. The rest was so blurry.

‘He did,” Silva answered calmly. “You were so wasted last night.”

He didn’t sound upset, mad, disgusted, or amused. He didn’t seem to have any feeling at all about it. And it only made the guilt felt even heavier, weighing more in Villa’s chest.

Villa stared at his hands. “I am sorry,” he said. His voice was low, but sounded awfully weird, and somehow, desperately hopeless.

Silva only let out a sigh, and stood up. “I’ll be in the living room.”

Silva didn’t let Villa have any chance to respond, as he turned on his heels and leaving the room. The clicking sound of the door being closed was the last trace that Silva left.

Villa stared at the door. The door looked so bare, and lonely.

*******

It took quite a while before Villa had enough courage to stood up from the bed. He washed his face, and stared at his own reflection in the mirror. A pair of dark eyes, still red from last night stared back at him. There was an old shirt, folded neatly, that Silva put on the bed. Villa put it on. It’s a little bit tight, but for Villa, wearing it was like one of his last attempts to hold on to something that were so good. Something that they were once had together.

He shuffled to the living room. Silva was sitting there, on the couch. In front of him, the TV was on, but no sound coming out of it. Silva didn’t turn, didn’t move when Villa walked closer. He sat on one of the armchairs.

For a while, the only sound that Villa could hear was his own breathing.

“What do you want?”

There was nothing but hollowness in Silva’s word. Villa felt like a complete idiot, because he wanted nothing but Silva, and he wanted everything that he could get from Silva. And for fuck sake, he would give anything, everything. But no, he could not put it into words just to answer that simple question. He could not answer it because the question itself already felt like a knife, stabbing through his heart.

Villa exhales, at the borderline of sighing. “I am sorry, Silva. I really am.”

Silva turned his head from the TV screen. Villa tried to hold his gaze at Silva’s eyes. But it’s just so painful to see how those eyes were staring at him with a freezing look.

“Sorry? What for?”

Villa wanted to laugh because oh, how cliché this was. The questions and answers were too much like in one of those stupid romantic movies. So shouldn’t this all ended like those movies? Where both of them would be back holding hands and making out and well, live happily ever after?

Apparently, no.

Because Villa was such a moron who were too stupid to put what he felt into words. So he totally had no idea to tell Silva, how sorry he was for being such a jerk. For all the wasted time that they could have spent together. For all the broken promises that he couldn’t even remember.

“For everything.”

No matter how much Villa meant it, the words still sounded, still tasted so hollow.

Silva sat still, his eyes were still staring at Villa. His eyes remained indecipherable, his expression was adamant.

Villa bit his lower lip. “You know I care about you, right? You know I care so much about you.”

There was a very vague humorless smile curved on Silva’s lips.

“I would rather say that I thought you were.”

“But I do, Silva! I really do!” Villa could hear how his voice was at the edge of being hysterical. “But you know, in between the games and trainings, not to mention that stupid ocean between us…”

Villa stopped there, suddenly out of breath. His breathing was shallow and heavy as he stared at Silva, desperately hoping that Silva would know, would see, would understand what he was trying to say, what he was feeling for Silva.

But the one staring back at him, was the Silva with a calm, almost expressionless face. The Silva that he almost didn’t recognize. And it made Villa wonder, how much damage he had done to Silva, that turned him to be someone like this.

Elbows propped on his thighs, Villa covered his face with both hands. He tried to breathe normally. But it’s just so hard to do when his chest was heavy with pain, his mind was racing with all the what-if’s and if-only and a thousand other emotions.

“You know what?”

Silva’s voice was quiet. Villa ran his hands from his face to his head, and fixed his eyes on Silva. The brunet was looking blankly at the TV screen. Then slowly he turned his head to face Villa.

“When someone really care about someone else, time and distance would mean nothing. If they really care, they would make the person they care about to be their priority.”

Silva curved his lips a little, into small smile. A small, ironic smile. Nevertheless, it was still one of the most beautiful smiles that Villa have ever seen.

Villa said nothing. Not because he had nothing to say. But because he couldn’t put all that he wanted to say into words.

“I guess, instead of being a priority, I am nothing but an option for you.”

Villa shook his head, almost furiously. “No, Silva. No! You’re more than that. You just don’t understand that…”

“What is it that I don’t understand, Villa?” Silva cut Villa sharply. His eyes narrowed, and Villa died a little inside when he saw the pain in those eyes. “Because what I can see all this time, is me being an option for a booty call, an option for a one-night stand, an option for you to run away to when you are bored.”  
_No. No. It’s all wrong. You mean more than that. You mean everything and all the things that I love._

“I didn’t mean to make you feel that way…” Villa said quietly, holding his gaze at Silva. How he really wished that the look in his eyes was enough to make Silva understand that when he said Silva means everything to him, Villa really meant it.

Silva stared back at Villa, chest raising up and down a little more rapidly than before. He sat still, letting the silence filled the air between them by saying nothing.

“I guess…” Villa said with a low voice. “I just don’t have enough time to show you how I really feel about you…”

Silva shook his head slowly. “It’s not about having time, Villa. It’s about making time.”

Another cold stab hit Villa.

Silva brushed away his hair from his eyes. “I am going out for dinner with Kun,” he said, and stood up. “There are some food on the fridge.” He stopped to sigh. “Don’t wait for me, I’ll be pretty late.”

Villa only watched as Silva turned around and walked to the door.

“Silva…” he called him. Silva stopped, a few steps away from where Villa was sitting.

“Silva,” Villa stopped, and finally said it, with all the sincerity he had. “I love you.”

Silva’s back was the only part of him that Villa could see. So he could not see Silva’s expression. But he could see how Silva’s shoulder trembled a little for a second. Silva shook his head a little, then straightened his back.

“You can sleep in the bedroom,” he said. And maybe, maybe Villa was just imagining it. But Silva’s voice sounded a bit shaky than before. “I’ll take the guest room.”

Silva did not look back as he walked away, leaving Villa stared at the emptiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter is from the song Somebody Else - The 1975


	4. Come on baby, this ain't the last time that I'll see your face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wondered, when would Villa understand that it’s not hearing the words that he wanted.  
> It’s feeling the words that Silva had been desperately wanting all this time.

It’s about half an hour past midnight when Silva came back. He hung his coat on the hanger, and walked in to the living room. The only light in the room was from the small lamp on the end table by the couch. But even in the low light, Silva could still see a figure laying down in the couch, covered with a blanket. Trying not to make any sound, Silva made his way to the couch. Villa was laying there, asleep. Something clenched in Silva’s heart as he watched Villa’s face. Villa always looked somehow more fragile when he was sleeping. Even with the ever-present creases between his brows, Villa’s expression looked softer with his eyes closed like that, chest moving up and down steadily as he breathed.

Silva took a deep breath, feeling how his chest is heavy as he tried to stop himself from running his thumb along that defined jawline. He used to do it. Waking up before Vila, only to watch the peaceful face of Villa and gently tracing an imaginary constellation on Villa’s skin with his finger.

Silva sighed heavily. He shook his head, as if it could help him letting go all the empty hopes and wishes he should not have had any longer.

His eyes fell on a small piece of paper on the coffee table. A pen was put over the paper to keep it on place. With his eyebrows slightly furrowed, Silva took the paper.

_Wake me up when you’re back, okay?_

Silva bit his lower lip. The steel fist in his chest clenched his heart a little bit tighter. He turned his head again, watching the Villa’s serene expression in his sleep. The yellowish dim light from the lamp played a shadow on his face. Another small piece of his heart was broken when Silva put back the paper on the coffee table, and walked away from the living room.

He didn’t look back.

_******* _

Silva woke up way before his alarm went off. He just laid on the bed in his guestroom, staring blankly at the ceiling above him. No matter how he tried to stop it, flashes of memories kept on reeling like a black and white movie. Covering his face with both hands, Silva cursed himself.

 _It’s over._ He quietly told himself.  _It’s over. It’s been a mess anyway since it started, so it’s better to end it now. And I should be moving on._

Silva flipped on his side, with his back facing the door, he stared at the bare plain wall in front of him. He didn’t bother to go to sleep because he knew that he would fail anyway. But then the muffled sound of footsteps coming closer made him gasps. He quickly shut his eyes.

“Silva?”

Villa’s whisper followed the soft creaking sound of the door being opened. His eyes were still closed, but Silva could feel how his heart started beating faster. He could hear Villa’s making his way to the bed. He tried to breathe steadily, keeping his eyes shut.

The slight movement of the mattress made Silva felt that Villa sat at the edge of the bed. And then Villa gently put one of his hand on Silva’s leg. Even with the blanket between their skins, that touch already made Silva’s heart stuttered a bit.

“I am going back to New York now.”

In the darkness, Villa’s voice still sounded awfully loud. Silva bit his lips. The scar that he thought was starting to heal was now aching again.

For a while, there was no other sound in the room other than Silva’s heavy breathing. Then Villa sighed, and he squeezed Silva’s leg a little.

Silva laid quietly, feeling the mattress moved once again as Villa stood up. As he was listening to the sound of Villa’s footsteps moving away from the bed, something inside of him started bleeding.

The door made another soft creaking sound. There was that one or two second of total silence. Like the calm that presents before the storm.

Then Villa’s voice, loud and clear, shattered the silence.

“I love you Silva. I always have loved you, I always will.”

The sound of the door being closed is the next thing that Silva heard. He opened his eyes, but his sight started to blur with something warms that swelled in his eyes.

Silva closed his eyes again, and shook his head weakly.

He wondered, when would Villa understand that it’s not _hearing_ the words that he wanted.

It’s _feeling_ the words that Silva had been desperately wanting all this time.

 

_******* _

_Something happened._

That’s the thought that crossed Silva’s mind when he saw Joe was standing in front of the entrance to the changing room. Well, Joe had always been a loud, cheerful guy, and it’s not something uncommon to see Joe having a big wide smile on his face. But this time, it’s different. There was something else on the goalie’s expression. Something that looked like a pure excitement, as if he knew a secret and he just couldn’t keep it any longer.

“So,” If it’s even possible, Joe’s grin got wider as Silva stopped in front of him. “He did it for you, didn’t he?”

Silva blinked. He looked back at Joe, bemused and perplexed. “What? Who did what?”

Joe’s eyes got widened, and by the next second, he burst out into a laugh.

“So he didn’t tell you?”

Silva shook his head, still clueless about what Joe was talking about. Joe handed him a newspaper, and winked as Silva took it from Joe.

Silva opened the folded paper and big letters of a headline instantly caught his eyes.

**_David Villa Made a Move to the Premier League._ **

Silva gasped, and lifted his head up to look at Joe.

“Well, whatever it was that he told the reporter,” Joe smiled at Silva knowingly. “I bet that his main reason was you…”

Silva stared back at the newspaper again. A week ago, when Villa walked away from the room, Silva would not have even dare to imagine that this is something that would happen. But now, it’s really happening. The black letters in front of him were telling him that it’s _really_ happening.

_David Villa, the legendary Spanish international made a breaking news by announcing his move to Manchester City. The striker is currently playing for New York FC, one of Manchester City’s sister clubs._

Joe’s pat on his shoulder made Silva looked at Joe again.

“Believe me. You must have really meant something for him if he is willing to do this kind of thing just to be with you.”

Whistling, Joe walked away, leaving Silva who was reading the rest of the news.

_Villa said that he has been planning to do coaching when he decides to retired from professional football. “I can’t imagine my life without playing football. So I think continuing it by being a coach is the best option for me after I got retired,” he explained. “And I know that City’s Football Academy has a great vision for the future in football. So what else is the best thing to really understand and start involve in it by joining the club itself?”_

_His agent said that since NYCFC and Manchester City are basically under the same management and ownership, the transfer details are not complicated._

Silva didn’t bother reading the detail. He fished his phone from his pocket, and quickly find the number that he wanted.

It took only two seconds before Villa picked up his phone.

“Hey!”

“You didn’t tell me about it.”

At the other end of the line, Villa chuckled. “So I guess you’ve heard the news?”

Instead of answering, Silva asked Villa back. “Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“Well…”

Silva closed his eyes. In his mind, he could imagine how Villa would run his fingers between his carefully-gelled hair.

“You know that instead of talking about something, I’d rather do something about it, right?”

There was something vaguely sounded like a plea in Villa’s words. And somehow, it spread warmth in Silva’s vein.

“Yeah,” Silva said. “But Villa?”

“Hm?”

Silva gripped his phone tighter. “This is your _last_ chance. _Our_ last chance. So make it worth it, okay?”

“I will, Silva. I will make this one chance really worth it.”

Silva’s lips curled up into a smile. But before he had the chance to say anything else, Villa already started talking again.

“Silva, listened. I would really love to talk more with you. But I am in JFK airport now and my plane to Manchester is taking off in half an hour or so, so I really have to hang up now.”

Silva wanted to laugh and scream and he felt a little bit light-headed.

“Let me know when you arrive,” he said.

“You’ll be the first one that I call.” Villa replied. Then he laughed. A small, pleasant laugh. And Silva could not even remember the last time he heard Villa laughed like this. So lively and carefree. The laugh was infectious; Silva was already smiling just to hear it.

“I love you, Silva.” This time Villa’s voice was low, and serious.

“Show me that you do.”

“Oh, believe me. I will. I will show you that I do in every single way.”

Silva was still smiling when he ended the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The title of the chapter is from the song Somebody Else - The 1975.  
> 2\. Millions of thanks to Klara. Without her idea, I wouldn't have ever written this.


End file.
